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Year 7 HASS > Ancient Egypt > Flashcards

Ancient Egypt Flashcards

1
Q

When and Where was Ancient Egypt?

A

8000BC - 30BC

From the first settlement on the Nile until the death of Cleopatra

North-Eastern Africa: Between Syria in the North, and Sudan in the South

Along the Nile (Black Land), surrounded by the Sahara Desert (Red Land)

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2
Q

What are the 3 kingdoms of Ancient Egypt called?

A
  1. Old Kingdom (2700BC - 2200BC)
    Age of the Pyramids
    Pyramid of Giza
    500 years
  2. Middle Kingdom (2050BC - 1800BC)
    Golden age
    Hieroglyphics
    The Book of the Dead
    250 years
  3. New Kingdom (1550BC - 1100BC)
    Most prosperous
    Tutankhamen
    Pharaohs move burial sites to The Valley of Kings
    450 years
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3
Q

Shomu

A

Season #3
Harvest
March - May
When the Nile is at it’s lowest point

  1. Inundation/Flooding (Akhet),
  2. Growth (Peret),
  3. Harvest (Shomu)
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4
Q

Name 3 uses of the Nile

A
  1. Drinking water
  2. Source of food (e.g. fish)
  3. Travel and Trade
  4. Place to wash
  5. Fertilising soil
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5
Q

Deity

A

God or Goddess

A powerful spirit that controls events and the nature of things.

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6
Q

Ammut

A

Not a Goddess.

Ammut was a beast associated with the time of judgement.

“The devourer of hearts”: she was believed to devour the hearts of the deceased if they were found to be unworthy during the judgment of the dead.

She lived next to the scales of justice in the underworld, which was where the heart of the deceased was weighed against the feather of truth.

Depicted (found) in funerary texts such as the Book of the Dead.

A female creature with the head of a crocodile, the front legs of a lion, and the back legs of a hippopotamus.

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7
Q

Ra

A

God of the Sun.

Greatest god in Egypt.

AE’s believed he had the power to control the sky and the weather, as well as life and death.

Represented by the head of a falcon and the sun-disk inside the Uraeus (cobra/devine authority) resting on his head.

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8
Q

Anubis

A

God of mummification, the afterlife, and the dead.

Responsible for preparing the deceased for the afterlife and guiding them through the underworld.

Wasn’t a scary God: AE’s believed he took great care in ensuring that the dead were treated with respect.

Represented by a jackal or the figure of a man with the head of a jackal.

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9
Q

Osiris

A

God of the Underworld/Afterlife, and fertility (new life).

One of the most important deities.

Husband of Isis.

Father of Horus.

He symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility.

Ancient Egyptians believed that he judged the souls of the dead and decided whether they were worthy of entering the afterlife.

Part of the Ennead (the first nine gods and goddesses).

Represented as a mummified man with green or black skin, holding a crook and flail (in ancient Egypt a flail is a rod with three beaded strands attached to the top).

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10
Q

The Book of the Dead

A

A collection of written spells, prayers, and codes that AE’s believed helped them in the Afterlife.

They were placed in tombs and believed to protect and aid the deceased in the Afterlife.

It’s not one book, but a bunch of individual chapters.

Chapter 30 was often written on the “Heart Scarab”. It is a spell that prevented the heart of a man from being taken from him in the afterlife

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11
Q

Describe 2 beliefs/values held by Ancient Egyptians

A
  1. Ancient Egyptians were polytheistic (they believed in many Gods and Goddesses).

The gods controlled all aspects of life and nature.

The main Gods were:
- Ra (Sun God),
- Osiris (God of the Underworld/Afterlife, and fertility/new life),
- Isis (God of Motherhood, protection, and magic; wife of Osiris),
- Anubis (God of mummification, afterlife, the dead; judges souls after death).

  1. Ancient Egyptians believed in the Afterlife.
    - mummification preserved the dead bodies. They believed the soul and life force needed to have a physical base in the afterlife.
    - Book of the Dead
    - weighing of the heart: AE’s believe that when you die, you have to pass a test called “the weighing of the heart”
  2. AE’s believed animals were to be honoured as Gods. Their deities were represented in a human form, an animal form, or a combination of the two (eg human body with an animal head).

EG. If a cat died, they would…

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12
Q

Slaves

A

Bottom level #6
Social structure/hierarchy

Usually foreigners (prisoners of war)

Were used as domestic servants, farmhands, or mineworkers.

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13
Q

Akhet

A

Season #1
Flooding
June-October
Nile is at its highest point, it brings new soil to fertilise the ground.

  1. Inundation/Flooding (Akhet),
  2. Growth (Peret),
  3. Harvest (Shemu)
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14
Q

Proyet

A

Season #2
Growth
November - February
Nile has gone down, but not low

  1. Inundation/Flooding (Akhet),
  2. Growth (Proyet),
  3. Harvest (Shemu)
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15
Q

Dynasty

A

A dynasty is when one family rules a country or region over a long period of time.

Generally, the head of the family will be the ruler of the land. In AE, that was the Pharaoh.

When that ruler dies, another member of the family will take power, usually the oldest son.

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16
Q

Pharoah

A

Ruler of AE. They were worshipped as Gods.

Means “great house.”

Pharaohs were absolute, or all-powerful, rulers. They made laws, controlled the land and its resources, and maintained an army.

Assistants called viziers and other officials helped pharaohs to govern.

When pharaohs died, their bodies were preserved as mummies.

Egyptians then buried the mummies in tombs, sometimes in or under pyramids.

They buried treasures along with the mummies.

Egyptians believed that pharaohs lived on as gods in the afterlife.

Famous Pharaohs include Tutankhamen, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra.

17
Q

Vizier

A

2 Social Structure = hierarchy

Main advisor to the Pharaoh

A Vizier in AE served the Pharaoh as the chief advisor on important details for governing the land of Egypt.

The Vizier was the highest government official, and all other government officials would report to the Vizier.

18
Q

Isis

A

Goddess of motherhood, protection, and magic.

Most important Goddess.

The mother of Horus.

Wife of Isis.

Ancient Egyptians believed that she could perform magic and heal the sick.

Part of the Ennead (the first nine gods and goddesses).

Represented as a woman with the hieroglyph for ‘throne’ worn as a crown, or with Hathor’s crown.

19
Q

Why was the Nile important to Ancient Egyptians?

A
  1. Drinking water
  2. Trade and travel
  3. Place to wash
  4. Food (fish and birds)
  5. Fertilising soil (from the inundation/flooding), so they could grow crops

Hapy: God of the Nile

20
Q

Hapy

A

God of the River Nile

Thought to control the Nile river’s inundation – this is when the river floods its banks which allows crops to grow.

Represented as a man with a large belly, representing fertility (new life) and good food.

Often shown carrying offerings of food and drink – he sometimes had lotus flowers or papyrus plants growing from his head.

Not the same as “Hapi” (1/4 gods who protect the organs of the deceased during mummification and the afterlife). Protects who the lungs; Hapi had a baboon head.

21
Q

What was the social structure in Ancient Egypt? (Hierarchy)

A

Hierarchy =

A pyramid structure for society, with the most important person at the top ruling over those underneath.

Pharaoh

Vizier

Chief Priest | Nobles | Priestesses

Scribes | Soldiers

Merchant | Craftsmen

Farmers | Slaves

  • Get an education to get better in life.
  • If your father was a farmer, you would likely be a farmer.
22
Q

What did Ancient Egyptians believe about death and the Afterlife

A

The spiritual body would continue to exist in an Afterlife.

To get in, the dead had to go on an Underworld journey and face final judgement.

  • They were mummified, to preserve the dead bodies, because they believed the soul and life force needed to have a physical base in the afterlife.
  • Book of the Dead
    A collection of written spells that AE’s believed helped them in the Afterlife.
    They were placed in tombs and believed to protect and aid the deceased in the Afterlife.
    It’s not one book, but a bunch of individual chapters.
    Chapter 30 was often written on the “Heart Scarab”. It is a spell that prevented the heart of a man from being taken from him in the afterlife
  • Weighing of the heart: AE’s believe that when you die, you have to pass a test called “the weighing of the heart”. Anubis did the tests, and Thoth wrote down the results. Ammut would devour the heart if you didn’t pass the test.
23
Q

Who were the main Gods and Goddesses in Ancient Egypt?

A
  1. Ra (sun)
  2. Osiris (afterlife)
  3. Isis (motherhood)
  4. Anubis (mummification)
24
Q

Hierarchy

A

Hierarchy describes a system that organises or ranks things, often according to power or importance.

In AE, the Pharaoh was at the top, and the slaves and poorest farmers were at the bottom.

The social structure of AE was a hierarchy.

25
Q

Thoth

A

God of wisdom, writing and knowledge, as well as a moon god.

Invented hieroglyphs

Represented by the head of an ibis bird and the body of a human, but he was sometimes depicted as a baboon.

26
Q

What are the Ancient Egyptian seasons?

A

June - October: floods AKHET
November - February: growing PROYET
March - May: Harvest SHOMU

Year 7 HASS (2 decks)

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